Cork City to co-create urban spaces with help from local communities

The authorities have just launched the 2023 Placemaking Fund and are looking for ideas to make Ireland’s second city greener

This week, local authorities in Cork, Ireland, announced the start of the 2023 City Centre Placemaking Fund. The fund aims to engage the city’s community in creating public spaces to be used by the community. The fund aims to improve the urban character of the city centre and ideas can come from a variety of places – local community groups and businesses located in the area.

The main focus of the projects should be to improve and bring more life to the area, as well as people’s experience of Cork. Additionally, successful projects should better public spaces, increase foot traffic and boost the local economy.

According to a statement by the city, projects may include greening and environment improvement, atmospheric lighting, murals and/or cultural and artistic attractions, and more. At the heart of the initiative, city officials say, is community participation, bringing both citizens and businesses into a symbiotic relationship that helps for a more sustainable and human-scaled Cork.

A focus on green initiatives

According to the city council, apart from breathing new life into the city centre, the 2023 City Centre Placemaking Fund aims to build a stronger community, while answering to citizens’ needs. While during the pandemic, many bars and restaurants were closed, people flocked to outdoor public spaces – highlighting the need to make them more attractive.

Additionally, a local community can offer a project and create a space that suits them, which will add a level of ownership to the public space.

This year, local authorities say they are particularly interested in ideas for greening the streets and encouraging urban biodiversity. Some examples of projects listed by Cork City Council include window boxes, hanging baskets, outdoor areas/rooftops with pollinator-friendly or edible plants, creating vertical green walls, food towers or installing bird/bat boxes or insect motels.